March 23, 2009--Plumes of steam rise from a vent in the summit crater of Redoubt Volcano--a glacier-covered peak 110 miles (177 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage, Alaska--on March 21, a day before the volcano began a series of powerful eruptions. (Full story: "Alaska Volcano Erupts: Ash, Quakes—And More to Come.")

When the Alaska peak began erupting late on March 22, 2009, it sent plumes of smoke and ash about 9.5 miles (15 kilometers) into the sky. Nearby towns are seeing ashfall, and some flights out of Anchorage have been canceled.